


Let the Sound of Your Voice Sway Sweet and Slow

by HopeRebel



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Grad School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Poly, Background Relationships, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Historians Are Never Without a Date, Maz is the ultimate matchmaker, Meet-Cute, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Resolved Sexual Tension, Reylo - Freeform, background Hux/Phasma, background Kaydel/Beaumont, background Storm/Rose/Pilot, nobody's ever really gone, watch the notes, watch the tags, we're playing fast and loose with lives and timelines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:21:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22011745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeRebel/pseuds/HopeRebel
Summary: Neither Rey nor Ben could possibly believe that the other has liked them since the first day they met in line at the coffee shop. Amidst grad school, friend groups, family drama, and academic rivalries, they try to navigate their friendship and their feelings for one another.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	1. Hot Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty...welcome to my first AU Reylo fanfiction! This is absolutely a work in progress, but one with an end goal in mind and a plan for updating. So here we go! I hope you all enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rey and Ben meet in line...
> 
> or
> 
> There are definitely worse things that can happen while standing in line than meeting a cute new fellow student.

[ ](https://imgur.com/z5wld5d)

Rey was standing in the neverending line for coffee at the campus Starbucks, texting her friends in their also neverending group chat. Kaydel was trying to convince Rose and Poe that even though their boyfriend, Finn was being an asshat, he was still a loveable asshat, and they should probably forgive him for his asshattishness. Rey wasn’t sure that asshattishness was a word, and she snorted in line.

“That’s ladylike,” a low, deep voice said semi-jokingly behind her. She turned to look behind her, and realized she had to look up too. The guy standing behind her was taller than most, broad shouldered, and smirking slightly. He was attractive too, unconventionally so, but just the sort she would normally like. If she had time, she thought, wistfully longing for the free time that didn’t exist as a grad student.

“Well, good thing I don’t care about being ladylike then,” she responded, not unkindly, and turned her attention back to her phone.

Rose and Poe were concerned that Finn was starting to spend more and more time with a new woman from his work, Jannah, and that their triad really didn’t have room for a fourth partner.

Rose: ‘Not that we even know if she’s okay with poly.’  
Poe: ‘we don’t have to know that, that’s not the point’  
Kaydel: ‘ok...so whats the point then??’  
Poe: ‘the point is that he’s even looking!’  
Rey: ‘But you’re _always_ looking…’  
Poe: ‘ugh.’  
Poe: ‘bah.’  
Poe: ‘that’s in the agreement though.’  
Poe: ‘i never promised to stop looking. and i’m just looking, not doing. he promised to stop looking.’  
Kaydel: ‘Then Zorii is, what exactly, not doing?’  
Rose: ‘::snorts:: Zorii is ace. She’s never going to give in to Poe’s looking.’

Rey laughed again, and the guy behind her spoke again, “Having a good day then, are we?” Rey judged how far away they still were from the front of the line, before pocketing her phone.

“Yeah, just my friends being…” She tried to think of how to describe her motley group of friends, and wound up just motioning uselessly in the air. “...my friends is all. It doesn’t help that a few of them are dating each other,” she added, as if that would help explain.

The tall guy smiled, “That I understand. I have friends like that too as a matter of fact.”

“Oh, good! So you understand how impossible they can be sometimes!”

“Indeed I do.” He paused for a minute. “I’m Ben by the way,” and he held out his hand for her to shake.

She regarded his hand for a second, and pushed past her first response to shut down any human contact. “I’m Rey, it’s nice to meet you,” she responded as he took his hand, and then yelped. An electric shock had jolted her when they touched, and she pulled her hand back quickly, sucking on the side of her finger that had gotten the worst of it. He shook his hand a little too, and then rubbed it absently with his other.

“Static electricity’s a bitch sometimes,” he joked. She appreciated that that was all he tried to say about it, as they finally moved forwards a bit in line. He looked down at his feet, drawing Rey’s eyes down his body too. Black henley, faded black jeans, black Cons, even a black leather banded watch. She’d bet dollars to donuts that he studied some sort of depressing literature. She suddenly became aware that he was studying her too, from her gray Vans, stonewash cropped jeans, plain white v-neck tee, and not-quite-threadbare-yet tan flannel shirt.

They both started a little, and he had the decency to clear his throat gently before speaking. “So, tea or coffee?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Are you more of a tea or coffee drinker?”

“Oh. Tea. Coffee’s…” she scrunched up her nose.

Ben laughed at her truly then, and she realized she enjoyed the sound of it. Really enjoyed the sound of it. “Coffee’s like the nectar of the gods. Perfect, really, when it’s hot and black.” Her face scrunched up even more, and he laughed even more.

“No. Never. Coffee’s just not proper.” That was when he realized she had a bit of a British accent hidden underneath her Americanized speech. “So, what do you study?” he asked.

“Indigenous resistance movements against settler colonialism,” she said, fully expecting to get one of the two standard responses to her studies. Which were either, A) something to the extent of not understanding most of what she meant, but usually, specifically “settler colonialism” or B) why was she as a white woman studying a topic where she was potentially just perpetuating the invasion?

Thankfully, Ben replied with neither of these. “Cool. In history, or anthropology, or?”

“History.” She grinned. “What about you?”

He chuckled, “I’m actually in history too. I’m researching cultural responses to imperialism in Africa.”

Rey’s brain started to reel. She knew the history department had decided to take on a transfer doctoral student in imperial studies. “Problematic background,” she had heard whispered from across the hall. “Temper tantrums,” another gossip. “Brilliant, but horrible to work with,” was a third common rumor. But the transfer’s name was Kylo or something, not Ben. She knew this because the transfer had won the extra stipend fellowship allotted for colonial/imperial studies for this year that Rey had been granted the past two years.

She must have gone quiet for longer than conversationally normal, because Ben prodded her shoulder gently with his elbow, and motioned her forwards to fill in the gap in line. “It’s nice to meet someone in the department,” he said. “Are you a first-year?”

“No, I’m starting my third year,” she answered as she moved up in line.

“Comps this year then.” They both shuddered just a little. Comprehensive exams in the third year were a dreaded but necessary rite of passage as a graduate student. Proove you know everything you actually need to know about your topic to teach a university course and continue with your dissertation research. Terrifying, inescapable, but also usually a bonding moment with one’s fellow grad students.

Rey felt like Ben had been asking most of the questions, which wasn’t a bad thing, just one where she felt she should help be less one-sided. “What about you? First-year?”

She could see the tips of his ears start to turn red through his wavy black hair. “No, uh, I transferred here this year. I had some, uh, disagreements with my committee at my last university, and it was recommended I look at other institutions.” Rey’s mind was going a mile a minute at this point. He couldn’t be the transfer. He just couldn’t. He seemed normal enough as far as history grad students went. And he couldn’t be the one who’d taken her fellowship. He just couldn’t. She could still afford her studies without the extra stipend, but it had provided some creature comfort padding that she had slowly gotten used to over the past two years.

She shook her head infinitesimally as she turned to move up in line again. They were almost to the front, and she was surprising herself by enjoying the conversation with Ben. So much so, she did something she never did. “Hey, hand me your phone.”

“Okay…” he drawled, but handed it to her unlocked anyways. She put her number in, tagged it ‘Rey Niemand,’ and handed it back to him.

“If you ever want to chat about the program or whatever, now you have my number,” Rey informed him. He looked at his phone, and she felt her pocket buzz. She’d been ignoring her phone since she put it away, but now she pulled it out.

Unknown: ‘Hi. It’s Ben. Thanks.’

She added him to her contacts, and smiled up at him. “So, I guess you’re headed to Global History with Professor Holdo once we’re done in line then, huh?”

“Yep, should be a good one. I hear great things about her.”

Rey was more than happy to gush, “She’s great. I’m sure you’ll love her. She’s on my committee actually.” Ben smiled at her, taking her excitement in stride.

Finally, it was Rey’s turn at the counter, and Ben shortly after her. She ordered her tea, hot, and he got his coffee, dark roast and hot too. He followed her to the little condiments table, where she was adding sugar and milk to her tea. “I think we might be the only people here buying hot drinks in September,” he chuckled.

“Maybe, but who cares?” she smiled as she blew on her tea and took a sip. “So, to Holdo’s then?”

“To Holdo’s. Please, lead the way,” he said, giving the standard ‘after you’ gesture. She fake curtsied, and they headed out of the Starbucks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And please feel free to drop comments, questions, or concerns!
> 
> Also, this is currently unbeta-ed, so any/all mistakes are all mine. If anyone is interested in beta-ing, give me a shout!
> 
> The title of this fic comes from the song Miles Davis & the Cool by The Gaslight Anthem.


	2. Global History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rey and Ben go to class...
> 
> or
> 
> Welcome to Holdo's class, where we meet a few new faces, and learn a bit more about Ben.

Ben sat down on the right side of the room, across from Rey. She was sitting between two other women, a happy, perky, shorter one and a sort of cynical-looking blonde-ish one with her hair in small space buns. The women seemed to be sort of gleefully arguing across Rey, who was listening to it all with a small smile on her face as she set up her laptop. Ben pulled his own (black) laptop out of his messenger bag (also black), and opened it up along with a small moleskin notebook (yep, black) and a self-contained ink pen (again, black). 

He had to wonder a little bit about the coincidence of meeting Rey in line before class. Sure, it was the campus Starbucks, the only one on campus. But it was also a campus of over 30,000 students. So the odds were...unlikely, but apparently here they were anyways. He had been happy and surprised when she’d given him her phone number. If nothing else, he could use a friend in town. He’d be lying though if he said he didn’t find her attractive. He doubted somehow that she thought the same. And he really doubted how long she’d continue to do so if she even did after everyone figured out why he was there as a transfer. _But,_ a small voice at the back of his mind thought, _maybe there’s hope after all._

Before he could consider that thought further, Prof. Holdo came into the room, setting down a manila folder, small notebook, pen, and her cell phone. She sat down amongst the grad students in the classroom, which was set up more like a conference room, with an angular “circle” of tables. Her posture was perfect, and she placed a stray piece of her lavender hair back behind her ear. “Welcome to Global History everyone. Today’s an easy day as the first day of course. Syllabus, focus of the class, why do you want to be a historian, so what? Introductions too. I know some of us know each other,” she paused as a few of the students smiled, including Rey, “but others of us are new to campus and our department. And I hate discussion courses where no one knows each other’s names.” 

Ben could feel his heart sink a little bit at her words. It was stupid to think he could start over, that he could erase his past, start fresh. _Well, it was fun while it lasted. Might as well be who they’ll all think you are as soon as they hear your name._ It was a losing proposition. If he introduced himself as Kylo Ren, they’d all know him to be that “troubled” and “angry” grad student who barely kept himself from being kicked out of his last program. _I only didn’t get kicked out because I agreed to leave,_ he thought. But if he introduced himself as Ben Solo, they’d all know who his parents were. It wasn’t like the academic world was a vast unknown. Everyone knew Han Solo and Leia Organa-Solo. Literally, everyone. And not just in academia in general, but at Yavin University in particular. He was screwed, and he could feel himself slouch a bit into his chair. 

To his surprise, Rey must have noticed, because his phone screen lit up.

Rey: ‘Hey. You ok? You look a little piqued.’  
Ben: ‘Is piqued a word we’re still using?’

He watched her smile and hide it, and honestly, it made him feel better, as the students began to introduce themselves. He missed his friends from his last program, Gwen and Armitage, but he thought this one might not be so bad if Rey was a part of it. 

There were ten students total in the seminar class, including Ben and Rey. Her friends were Rose and Kaydel. There was also a guy called Snap and another one named Beaumont, who went by Beau. Two more guys, Nodin and Kaz, along with another two gals, Vi and Mich (“Like Mitch, not Mike,” she said), rounded out the group. Ben had bitten the bullet and introduced himself as Ben. The fact that no one else had used their last names had saved him that bit, and better to let them think he was the benefit of nepotism than an asshole who couldn’t control his temper. _Even if that’s a little true,_ he thought morosely. Prof. Holdo just smiled and said welcome, the same as with every other student.

The rest of the class went exactly as Holdo had said it would. She wanted them to consider why they wanted to be historians, and why what they had to say about history mattered. It wasn’t a question to answer today, she had said, but something to consider throughout the class and throughout their studies. She ended class early, and as everyone was packing up, she turned to Ben. “It’s good to see you here Ben,” she said kindly. “I’m glad you’re here.”

He knew he was blushing in his ears again. Damn his ears. “Thanks Professor Holdo,” he said quietly. As he looked up and around the room, he saw that Rose had noticed the exchange, and was looking at Rey questioningly. Rey had a slightly quizzical look on her face too, but she was looking right at Ben. He just shook his head a hair, and texted her.

Ben: ‘Not here. I’ll answer your questions out of the class.’

There. He’d done it. He was going to own up to whatever she asked, and deal with the consequences. Growth, his therapist would call it. Terrifying, he would disagree. But that was part of why he kept showing back up at his therapist’s office every other week. 

Rey spoke up from the other side of the room. “Hey Ben, a few of us usually go grab lunch and a beer after the first seminar day. Want to come with?” He couldn’t tell from her face or either of the other girls’ faces what they thought of it, as Kaydel invited Kaz too. He had sat next to her during the class, and was a first-year. Beau had moved around to chat with Rose, and it looked like he was headed with as well. 

“Why not?” Ben replied. Why not indeed? Might as well let everything explode early on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Again, please feel free to drop comments, questions, or concerns!
> 
> Also, this is currently unbeta-ed, so any/all mistakes are all mine. If anyone is interested in beta-ing, give me a shout!


	3. Maz's House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the students go to the bar...
> 
> or
> 
> The students head to Maz's bar after class to get to know each other all a little bit better.

Maz’s House was the best, closest, and oldest bar to campus, providing both cheap-yet-delicious drinks and bar food that could satisfy any craving. No one was exactly sure when the bar had come under Maz Kanata’s ownership. She was cagey about her background, and elderly in a way that was ageless. She was a spitfire, but kind, and always knew how to help her patrons best, even if it wasn’t necessarily what they thought they wanted or needed. It didn’t hurt that it was only a five minute walk from Windu Hall where the history department was housed. Nor did it hurt that Rey, Rose, and Kaydel rented out the rooms in Maz’s actual house behind Maz’s House. The girls helped care for her house and keep it in order around Maz’s late schedule, and in return, Maz helped care for the girls in their home away from their homes. For Rey, Maz’s house with the other girls was the best home she’d lived in by far. Maz herself never actually drank, there was always food, the rent was reasonable, and the heating and cooling always worked. _Pretty low bars,_ Rey thought. But she was happy at Yavin U, and she was happy with her friends. 

She was leading the way to Maz’s House with Kaydel and Rose, the three boys following along behind. Kaz and Beau seemed to be much more talkative than Ben, but she could also hear him rumble and chime in every so often.

“Sooo…” Kaydel started quietly. “Ben, huh?” Rey knew she was starting to blush across her cheeks. “He seems nice.”

“And tall,” Rose added.

Rey shot her friend a look. “And I wanted to help him get to know some of the cohort.”

“And gaze at his handsome mug and into his lovely eyes,” Rose added again. This time Rey punched Rose’s arm gently. “I’m just saying,” Rose put her hands up. 

“We’re glad you’re branching out a bit is all,” Kaydel added. “Even if he seems a little dark and quiet.”

Rey was saved having to say anything else, as they had arrived at Maz’s. “C’mon guys, inside bar,” Rose was holding the door and waving them all in. The inside bar was all dark wood and worn dark green leather seats. It always took a minute for Rey’s eyes to adjust to the interior. It being only 1pm, the seats were all open, and the six of them settled into places without saying who was going where. Ben situated himself the furthest away from the door, and Rey sat herself down next to him. Rose and Kaydel settled in next, then Beau and Kaz. Rey told herself that she was sitting next to Ben solely out of the politeness of having invited him, but she knew that was also only partially true. 

Maz came around the bar from the far side from Rey, saw the lineup of grad students, and broke out into a huge grin. She slid her glasses down onto her face from where they had perched on top of her head, and shouted while stepping up towards them, “Chickadees! And guests! Who have you brought me?”

Kaydel spoke up, introducing Beau and Kaz as new grad students in the history program, both of whom leaned across the counter to shake Maz’s hand. When she shook Beau’s hand, she looked back at Kaydel and had the audacity to wink. Maz then turned her attention past the girls to the man at the end of their group. “Ben? Ben Solo? It’s good to see you boy.”

Rey watched incredulous as Ben stood up to lean across the bar and hug Maz. She heard Rose make a small choking noise, and was happy they didn’t have drinks yet. Rey was sure Rose would have done a spit-take if they’d already had their drinks. 

“Hi, Maz. It’s been a while,” he said genuinely.

“So it has boy. So it has. But. You’re home now.” She looked back at the rest of the group, and both Beau and Kaydel snapped their mouths shut. “Beer? Food? What does everyone want?” The group all ordered. Maz never wrote any of it down, and always brought it all out perfectly. 

As soon as Rey received her pint of amber ale she took a healthy gulp of it and turned to Ben. He spoke before she could ask anything, “That may be what I was wanting to tell you when I texted you at the end of class.” He had ordered a porter, and took a few sips of it. “So, yeah. I’m a Solo. Yes, that family of Solos. No, they didn’t help me get in. I transferred without them knowing I was doing so. I’ve known almost everyone in the department since I was a kid. You can hate me now if you want for taking a spot and funding.” His whole speech had come out in a quiet rush, and it was taking a moment for it to all set in with Rey.

She took another sip of her beer before responding, “I don’t hate you. Why did you think you could hide something like this though?”

He sighed. “I didn’t. But it’s complicated. My folks and I...we don’t exactly get along. Coming back here isn’t exactly ideal.” He ran a hand through his hair, and Rey could tell he was trying to tell her more than he was saying on the face of things. “I’m trying not to make waves.”

“That seems unlikely as a possibility,” Rey quipped, causing Ben to chuckle lowly. 

“Yeah. I’m seeing that now.” 

“Well, Ben Solo, welcome back to Yavin U,” Rey offered, and held her glass up for him to cheers.

He clinked his glass with hers. “Cheers, Rey.” Ben took a good sip of his beer, and set it down. “And thank you.”

They had been speaking quietly enough, but Rey knew that the other girls were dying of curiosity, just holding it back by talking with the other boys. She also knew there was no way that they weren’t also listening as closely as possible. “You know that everyone’ll know by next class tomorrow, yeah? Do you have Historical Methods tomorrow with Professor Skywalker?”

Ben paled just a little and took an even bigger sip of his porter. “No. Umm...I took Methods at my last university, and I have a reading conference with Dr. San Tekka instead. My unc...Professor Skywalker and I don’t get along. At all. The last time I saw him, neither of us had nice things to say about the other,” he grimaced. 

Rey worked well with Prof. Skywalker, but she could see how it could be rough to be on his bad side. 

Thankfully, Maz arrived back with their food, and all of the hungry grad students set into it. After a few silent bites, Rose looked over at Ben and Rey, elbowed Kaydel, and started to chuckle. Ben and Rey, who had been paying attention to nothing but their food, asked, “What?” simultaneously, both still with slightly full mouths.

Rose answered, “Just the incongruity of the size of her burger next to your blt, as compared to your body sizes. It’s amusing.” Rey just glared small daggers at her friends, and took a wolfish bite of her burger. Ben started laughing, and she could see that her friends and Maz were all smiling. _Huh,_ she thought. _Maybe it’ll be a decent semester after all, even if he’s a bit complicated._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! I'm hoping to keep updating this weekly until it's finished, but I'm juggling a few things at the moment, so bear with me please.


	4. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some texting happens...
> 
> or
> 
> At the end of his first day at Yavin U, Ben considers the differences between his old school and his new possibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes. So it's been a while since I updated this. All the apologies on that front. I'm going to try to work on this a bit more regularly, but I'm also working on an RFFA project, wrangling ideas, and moving across the country in the next few months. So, no concrete promises. I mean, we all saw how well that went last time anyways. But, new chapter! Yay!

After their food and perhaps more than one round of beer, the group began to trickle away. Kaz left first, thanking everyone for inviting him out, and saying he’d see them next class. Kaydel said she needed to head out too, and Beau gulped the last of his beer, following her out. Rose waggled her eyebrows at Rey about that. Rey just rolled her eyes at her friend.

Maz piped up as she was wiping off a wet glass, “I like those boys. You girls should bring them back again next time. You too, Ben Solo. You’re always welcome here.”

Ben smiled faintly, “Thank you Maz.”

Rey and Rose’s phones both vibrated on the bar top at the same time, but Rose checked hers first. “Do you mind if Poe comes over to the house for a while?”

Rey finished the last swallow of her beer. “No, that’s not a problem at all. Long day at work?”

Rose merely shrugged, “Something like that.” It looked to Ben like Rey was fairly certain there was something more going on that Rose knew, but she also didn’t seem about to push it. “I’m going to head out. I’ll see you when you get home, yeah?”

Rey nodded, and hugged her friend. She looked down at her now empty beer, and asked Maz for a water.

“So, you guys roommates then?” Ben asked, and thanked Maz when she presented him with a water too.

“Yeah, Kay lives with us too. We, uh, actually live with Maz behind this place.”

“Doesn’t that seem like a bit more information than you should be telling a guy you just met today?” he gently teased her.

“Probably, but Maz already knows you, and seems to have known you since you were small, so consider this an exception.” Rey paused, “Not an invitation, mind you. Just information.”

Ben raised his hands in mock defense. “I’ll consider myself uninvited.”

Rey grinned. “Good, I’ll let you know if and when your status changes.” She paused, and he waited for her to continue. “So, what year of the program are you in then, as a transfer?”

Ben had finished his sandwich, and was wiping his mouth with his napkin. “The university agreed to honor my first two years of work, so I’m in my third. Trying to wrap up a last few courses, take comps, and prepare my dissertation proposal by the end of the year. Same boat as you, yeah?”

“Exactly. I missed global history my first year, so I’m taking that, and then I’ve got the seminar on imperialism with Prof. D’Acy on Thursday. Otherwise just a lot of reading and studying. I’ve got a reading conference with my chair, Prof. Organa -” Rey cut herself off, as her eyes went wide, looking at Ben. 

_Ah. She’s connected the dots,_ Ben thought. 

“You’re - And she’s - And - oh!” she flung her hands in front of her face in small shock. Ben just smiled in what he hoped was a kind manner. When she lowered them, she continued, “Your mother is my committee chair.”

Her deadpan delivery had Ben laughing. Once he had stopped, he spoke again, “Yep, it does seem as though my mother is your committee chair. Hopefully that won’t make talking with me too weird?”

Rey looked like she had recovered. “No, no. I think we can manage collegial friendship even in this tangled web. What do you think? Friends?” She held out her hand to him.

While the idea of being only friends deflated Ben’s ego a little, he was still happy if he was able to make friends again. He shook her hand, another small static electricity jolt rushing through his finger when he first touched her. “Friends. I’d like that.”

Rey was absently rubbing her pointer finger with her thumb. Ben wondered if she even knew she was doing it as she smiled, and said, “I’d like that too.”

After settling their tabs with Maz, Ben and Rey headed out of her bar. They stood awkwardly outside the exit for a minute. Rey broke the tension first, “So, uhh, I’m over here.” She hooked her thumb behind her, away from the direction of campus.

“Yeah, and uh, I’m over - “ Ben looked around to get his bearings on the area. “I’m over there,” he waved towards the northwest. “Well, I guess I’ll see you then?”

“See you around for sure,” she answered him with a smile, before heading away. Ben stood watching her for a moment, and then headed in the direction of his apartment. He had ignored his phone for the majority of the day, and now looked down to see messages from his friends. He appreciated that they seemed to be checking in on him.

Phas: ‘How was your first day with the enemy?’  
Hux: ‘Are they really “the enemy?”’  
Phas: ‘Yes! They stole Kylo!’  
Hux:’ I’m not so sure “stole” is the right word either.’  
Phas: ‘Oh, sweetie, you’re so wrong.’

Hux: ‘(she’s wrong, but I’m not sending that in the group chat)’

Ben chuckled at his friends as he walked back to his apartment. He responded back to the group text.

Kylo: ‘Thanks guys. The day went well. Class was decent, and there’s good people here.’

Phasma was quick to respond.

Phas: ‘But they’re not us, right?’  
Kylo: ‘No, they’re not you and Hux.’  
Kylo: ‘How was your guys’ day back?’  
Hux: ‘Oh, you know, the usual wailing and gnashing of teeth from our illustrious advisor.’  
Hux: ‘Lots of snide commentary. But par for the course.’  
Kylo: ‘Not too bad for you guys in the wake?’  
Phas: ‘Not too bad at all. We know how to handle the “Supreme Leader” and his usual shit.’  
Kylo: ‘Thanks guys. I miss you.’  
Hux: ‘God, don’t get mushy on us over there in that fluffy hellscape.’

Ben laughed out loud while walking, startling a lady coming out of a sandwich shop. “Sorry,” he responded after she had jumped. 

He did miss his friends. Phasma and Hux had been his closest allies and friends at his old university. Both a year ahead in the program, they had helped him navigate the competitive academic field and juggle his assistantship duties his first year. They had become fast friends in his second year, even as everything was falling apart. Ben didn’t miss their advisor, Snoke, or any of the other professors at Mustafar University. He certainly didn’t miss the pressure Snoke placed on him, or the way he tried to mold Ben’s academic interests. But he did miss his friends. 

Arriving at his apartment, Ben realized that even though his friends were far away, he had an opportunity to try again here at Yavin. His first day had been less bumpy than he had expected it to be, by far. The other students seemed nice, and normal. _And attractive,_ his brain supplied, thinking of Rey. _Cart before the horse,_ he told himself. _Cart before the horse._ It would be better just to see if he could get along with everyone. It would be better to try and adjust to grad student life as Ben Solo, not as Kylo Ren. _But…_ his traitorous brain supplied, _could it be even better if there was more?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Please leave a kudo or a comment if you enjoyed :)


End file.
